"What…"
A soulless voice escaped from Jo Gul's mouth as he weakly stirred the ladle.
"Why me…"
His eyes rolled back.
The disciples of Mount Hua—no, at this moment, they should be called useless surplus humans—swarmed around, watching him make porridge.
"Wow, you're doing so well."
"So Gul has something he's good at."
"You shouldn't speak so carelessly, patrons. Everything in the world has some use, even if small. Amitabha."
"…Then was this guy born just to make porridge for us?"
Damn these people.
Jo Gul gritted his teeth and glared at Tang Soso.
"What?"
"…Nothing."
"What?"
"…"
"What? I was raised well! When would I have ever done something like that?"
It's not entirely wrong.
Tang Soso could now become a proud bandit leader just by joining any mountain bandit troop, but in the past, she was the precious jewel of the Sichuan Tang family. Even Jo Gul, who was raised somewhat nobly, couldn't compare his noble status to hers.
So it's possible she never made porridge before. That could be, but…
"…Even so, can you burn porridge? Is that even possible? For a person to do that?"
"Isn't making the impossible possible the virtue of a Mount Hua disciple?"
"Don't nod your head, Senior Sasuk!"
Jo Gul shouted sharply at Un Geom, who nodded as if impressed. Hey, why are you nodding there!
"And! Even so, does it make sense that no one here has ever made porridge?"
"…Sorry."
"You do sound sorry."
Baek Cheon and Tang Soso, officially recognized as children of noble families by Mount Hua(?), quietly avoided Jo Gul's gaze.
"Well, fine, those guys are excused. But you street-born folks, what?"
Yoon Jong, Yu Yiseol, Chung Myung—the self-proclaimed Mount Hua street trio—looked sullenly at Jo Gul. Yoon Jong was the only one showing a hint of apology.
"Sorry. I have no talent for cooking."
"What about sago?"
"Me?"
Yu Yiseol pointed to her face and tilted her head.
"None."
"What?"
"Kitchen."
"…"
"Usually, I pick fruit, dig up roots… When I think we have to eat bugs, the sect leader…"
"I-I'm sorry! It was my fault, sago!"
So stop it. My heart feels like it's breaking…
"Enough, just stir the porridge quickly. But does porridge usually take this long?"
"No…"
Jo Gul sighed as he looked at the huge pot in front of him.
'Is this food for people? It's for cows.'
They said just one bowl is enough, but everyone rushed in asking if that fills the stomach, and what if they want more, shouldn't we cook a lot in advance, are we saving grain from the patients now…!
Adding grain bit by bit, the huge pot was filled to bursting with porridge.
'If we make a pot like this, even the largest physician hall in Luoyang couldn't finish it in a day.'
But what can be done? If you're upset, you should have joined earlier. As he sighed stirring the porridge, Jo Gul's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"The fire seems a bit weak…"
"Really?"
Creak.
At that moment, Chung Myung casually tore off the ship's railing, then snapped it into pieces and threw them into the fire beneath the pot.
"More?"
"No. The fire is fine now, but, um… Chung Myung."
"Why?"
"…Is it really okay to do this?"
"What? This?"
Chung Myung showed the wooden debris left in his hand, which was just called the railing moments ago.
"…Uh."
"What does it matter? It's not even my ship."
"…"
"And logically, isn't it good if the Pirates' ship breaks and sinks into the ground?"
Hae Yeon smiled warmly upon hearing those words.
"Chung Myung's merit is great. Amitabha."
…It seems that guy has completely lost it now.
"No, if that's the case, shouldn't you at least not do it on the deck? What if the ship catches fire?"
Chung Myung looked at Jo Gul with a bewildered expression.
"We are surrounded by water, what does it matter if there's a fire or not?"
"The ship will burn!"
"If the ship burns, that's good! Can't sahyung understand human words?"
At this point, Jo Gul gave up on further conversation. Arguing logic with this guy was worse than playing GO with Baek Ah.
Pushing everyone aside, Jo Gul fiercely stirred the porridge, then after a while put down the ladle and took the pot off the fire.
"…It's done."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
The street trio, who held a firm and clear grudge against the rich, looked at Jo Gul with distrust.
"It's unsettling that a rich kid is making porridge."
"Food you can't eat."
"Won't you get sick if you eat it?"
Jo Gul shouted angrily.
"No! Merchants often go on business trips for long durations, so they must learn to cook outdoors! I learned it too, I learned it!"
Then Baek Cheon smiled and put his hand on Jo Gul's shoulder.
"Jo Gul."
"Yes?"
"Drop the misunderstanding. We don't doubt that knowledge."
"…Really?"
"We doubt you. The person. You as a person. So don't be upset."
Ah, I just want everything to die already. Really.
Then Tang Soso quietly tasted the porridge and nodded.
"This is good enough."
"Really?"
"Ooooh."
"Finally, Jo Gul's usefulness has been found. It took a long time though."
Namgung Do-Wei, unable to approach the mess, stood a bit away watching the scene, then looked at Im So-Byeong beside him with trembling eyes.
"Um… well…"
"Yes?"
"Um… between us, I wonder if this question might be rude…"
"Please speak freely."
"…Is the atmosphere here always like this?"
Im So-Byeong smiled gently and patted Namgung Do-Wei's shoulder.
"Family Lord."
"Yes?"
"You have to get used to this."
"…"
"At first, you might think these are crazy people, but with effort, you can somehow understand them. No, even if you don't understand their actions, you'll learn to accept it. It's not easy, but with the spirit of a family lord, it's possible."
"…"
Meanwhile, Tang Soso busily transferred the porridge into prepared bowls and quickly headed to the cabin. Yu Yiseol followed her briskly.
Before Tang Soso closed the cabin door, she turned her head back and said,
"Please eat some of the leftovers. We haven't eaten anything either."
"Alright."
As the cabin door closed, everyone's gaze turned simultaneously to the pot on the floor.
"That's right. We haven't eaten anything."
"…Haven't we starved for three days?"
"I never thought of that."
A moment of silence passed.
Growl.
Breaking the silence, a stomach growl came from someone, and everyone glanced at each other before slowly approaching the pot.
Click.
Baek Cheon dipped his spoon into the porridge bowl and chuckled at something.
"…Really, there's nothing missing—pot, bowls, everything. It feels like they brought the very ship the Pirates were on until recently."
"He's strangely kind, that Jang Ilso guy."
"There was even rice onboard. I didn't expect them to bring cooked rice too."
"…I wouldn't have eaten it if it weren't for Soso."
"Me too. How can I trust that bastard?"
If there's someone who can check for poison, at least you don't worry about dying from food.
It doesn't seem like the rice was deliberately prepared; it looks like the Pirates carried it as emergency rations. But the important thing is that there was grain to fill the stomach.
Baek Cheon glanced outside the ship. Their ship was hugging the right side of the Yangtze River, heading upstream, so they could quickly disembark to the north bank if the Pirates attacked.
At first, they thought to use the ship only for crossing and then travel safely on land, but that wasn't feasible with children and patients.
So they found a compromise between more comfortable and safer travel.
Fortunately or unfortunately, they hadn't seen any other Pirate ships on the way here, only passing by some docked ones.
Though unlikely, it was suspicious enough to wonder if Jang Ilso had tied up all the Pirates to let them pass comfortably.
"Anyway… even if nothing happens now, the Yangtze is the Pirates' den, so who knows what might happen…"
"One more bowl."
"Wow. Jo Gul really cooks porridge well."
"They are saying this isn't porridge but rice gruel?"
"Is it different?"
While Baek Cheon spoke, the porridge in the pot kept decreasing. His gaze grew urgent. He too hadn't eaten for three days.
Baek Cheon's speech quickened.
"So let's be more vigilant. If it were just us, maybe not, but here…"
"No soy sauce? Or salt?"
"Since it's for patients, I think he didn't season it at all."
"I think there was a food storage. Shall we look for salt in there?"
"Forget it. Let's just eat. It's bland but edible."
"No, guys, listen to me…"
Even Un Geom, Im So-Byeong, and Namgung Do-Wei quickly emptied their bowls. Eventually, Baek Cheon gave up lecturing and rushed to the pot.
"Leave some food for me, you damn bastards!"
The deck was instantly filled with eating sounds and spoon movements. It was truly a battle-like meal.
"…Any news yet?"
"Yes, sect leader."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong sighed deeply. His gaze never left the river and the land beyond in the south.
"Even now, crossing the river…"
"No, sect leader. Didn't Chung Myung repeatedly insist? If anything happens, they will definitely contact us. Aren't these kids capable of doing that?"
"…I suppose so."
Hyun Jong sighed heavily.
If they crossed clumsily and the situation got complicated, they might not contact in time and the kids could be harmed. Because of this, Hyun Jong and the rest of Mount Hua disciples were stuck here, helplessly waiting.
"Let's go a bit further downstream."
"We've already come far, sect leader."
"I know, I know. But shouldn't we consider the possibility they can't contact us? We should go where we can reach them fastest if trouble arises."
"…That's true, but…"
Un Am sighed deeply.
They had already moved far west from the river mouth. It was a result of wanting to hold position and also to reach the kids quickly if something happened.
Click.
Hyun Jong finally started biting his nails. Seeing the worry and anxiety on his face, Un Am couldn't say no.
"Then just a little…"
It was at that moment.
"Sect leader! A Pirate ship just moved ahead!"
"…What's the big deal?"
Hyun Jong responded indifferently, as if uninterested unless it was news of the kids.
"Well, the ship was damaged in many places. It looked like it had been torn up in a fight, with smoke rising as if after a fierce battle."
"What?"
Hyun Jong was startled and raised his head.
"Is anyone on board?"
"It is hard to tell from afar…"
Hyun Jong looked around anxiously.
"If there's a fight with Pirates on the Yangtze now, it has to be our kids!"
"It's not necessarily so… well, it isn't, but… but still…"
At that moment, Un Am, who had been calm, also lost composure.
"Let's head downstream!"
"Yes! That's right! Tell the kids! We're moving! Immediately!"
"Yes!"
As the Mount Hua disciples steeled themselves for a desperate fight and started running downstream at full speed.
"By the way, why is the fire still burning?"
"It's warm."
"That's true."
The Mount Hua disciples sat huddled around the campfire lit on the deck.
"Ah, it's warm."
With faces like cats sitting in front of a fire.
.